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>"Dear Bodhidharma, I thank you that I am not a sinner
>like these non-practicing Zen folk appear to be."
>--- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, ChrisAustinLane <chris@...> wrote:
>>
>> I do not come to the forum expecting it to be a place just for practicing
>> zen folk, ...
To me these read rather differently, but it appears that you are
making an equation between them, in which case I must apologize for
conveying a self-righteous message.
Reminds me of a joke for some reason:
Q. What is the difference between a regular guy and a zen master?
A. None, but the regular guy thinks there is.
Practice doesn't change the nature of what living is. On days when
I've sat in zazen, I say things I wish I hadn't, get crabby, stub my
toe, make typos, drop dishes, etc., etc., just like on days when I
have avoided sitting in zazen.
I don't think people who do not sit zazen are sinners. I do not even
think that zazen is the only way to see that all is one
undifferentiated whole. I have found it to be a rather straightforward
way to develop that way of seeing the world, which I find both to be a
truthful and useful perspective. Incidentally, I was always taught in
my Chrstian church that the word translated as sin does not mean have
a connotation of bad or wickedness but of missing the mark, of error.
I think the way that any discussion of how to live devolves into some
people feeling that other people are being moralistic partly is a
reflection of our internal criticism rather than judgment coming from
the others. I know when I am unsure if I am really putting forth a
sincere effort that I am much more likely to perceive what other
people say as critical than when I see clearly that I am doing the
best I can.
That last bit is not inspired by you Ed, but the list traffic in general.
Thanks,
--Chris
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